From Bundesliga outcast to Nashville legend: How Hany Mukhtar became an MLS great

Analysis

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

Nashville SC captain Hany Mukhtar had a fairly uneventful career in Europe, but he has blossomed into an exceptional player in Major League Soccer.

Last weekend, the Berlin-born attacker reached a tremendous milestone when he became the third-fastest player in MLS history to produce 150 regular-season goal contributions, notching 85 goals, 66 assists (MLS officially counts secondary assists) in just 188 games.

He is not in bad company. Only Landon Donovan and Preki were faster. What do all of them have in common? They are all MLS legends and former MVPs. Mukhtar claimed the accolade in 2022, and he could be on course to win it again if Nashville maintain their momentum.

Of course, a certain Lionel Messi will have something to say about it. After all, he is gunning for a third consecutive award after dethroning Preki as the only two-time winner last year.

Still, the fact that Mukhtar is even in the conversation is quite the achievement, considering his unremarkable career in Europe. When he became Nashville's first Designated Player in club history in 2020, he was coming off an impressive spell in Denmark, but he was hardly a superstar.

From Bundesliga dud to MLS star

Mukhtar came through the Hertha BSC youth academy, but he would go on to make just 18 senior appearances for the German club, with only 10 coming in the Bundesliga. After not playing at all in 2014/15, he terminated his contract and joined Benfica.

He was a Germany youth international at every level from the U15s to the U21s, but the diminutive playmaker struggled to perform in senior football. After making just one first-team appearance for Benfica, he embarked on an unimpressive loan spell at Red Bull Salzburg.

Luckily for him, Danish giants Brondby had seen enough to take a chance on him, signing him for an eyebrow-raising €1.5m in 2017. They would almost double their money when Nashville came calling ahead of their inaugural season in MLS.

With 28 goals and 36 assists in 134 appearances for Brondby under his belt, Mukhtar embarked on an adventure in Music City that would change his life. He was Nashville's marquee man, but it took a while for him to get on the pitch - through no fault of his own.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the 2020 season and hit Nashville particularly hard. They did not participate in the league's controversial MLS is Back tournament in the humid summer heat of Orlando after detecting multiple COVID cases in the team.

They returned to play in August and made the playoffs, reaching the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Mukhtar contributed five goals and four assists in 18 games, a solid but hardly MVP-level return.

By the end of the 2021 season, however, any doubts over his superstar credentials had been firmly dispelled. Mukhtar embraced his new home as very few foreign MLS signings had done, and it was reflected in his performances.

He notched 16 goals and 12 assists in the 2021 regular season, and another three goals in the playoffs as the Boys in Gold again reached the semis. His numbers were made all the more impressive by the fact that Nashville were a defence-first team under Gary Smith.

He was a finalist for the MVP award that year, before going one better in 2022. The German netted 23 times and provided 11 assists, contributing to more than half of Nashville's goals that season. He was named MVP despite the club's first-round playoff exit.

Mukhtar becomes a Nashville legend

The newly opened soccer-specific stadium, Geodis Park, became his second home in Music City, so much so that he decided to get married there in 2023. "Nashville will always hold a special place in our hearts, as the city where our love story began," Mukhtar and his wife, Ashley, explained their choice to People.

"We were drawn to the intimacy the stadium allowed that nowhere else would have. With the field as our blank canvas, we brought our vision to life and created a truly unforgettable atmosphere in the city that brought us together."

Mukhtar continued to perform even as things began to turn sour towards the end of Smith's tenure. He recorded 15 goals and seven assists in 2023, but Nashville again crashed out in the first round of the playoffs. They also lost the Leagues Cup final to Inter Miami.

Smith was sacked after a poor start to 2024, which would culminate in Nashville missing out on the playoffs for the first time in their MLS history. Mukhtar still finished the season with a respectable eight goals and 10 assists.

The hire of BJ Callaghan that summer changed everything for NSC. He gave the team a fresh impulse, provided new tactical ideas, and it bore fruit in 2025. Not only did Nashville win the US Open Cup, they also developed into one of the most enjoyable teams in MLS.

The dour risk-averse football of Smith was replaced with swashbuckling attacking play, while not compromising on defensive solidity. Thanks to joined-up thinking between Callaghan and the front office, Nashville became a force to be reckoned with.

The Open Cup win, in particular, was a special moment. Mukhtar lifted the trophy together with Walker Zimmerman, who had been there from day one, just like the German. It was the club's first-ever trophy and the first professional title in Tennessee history.

Courtesy of Mukhtar's 16 goals and 12 assists, as well as Sam Surridge's 24 goals, Nashville enjoyed their best-ever regular season, winning 16 games before disappointingly losing to eventual champions Inter Miami in the playoffs.

They got revenge earlier this year, though, when they knocked the Herons out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, a devastating result that precipitated Javier Mascherano's resignation.

The Boys in Gold nickname is fully merited now. Nashville are currently the gold standard of MLS. They are a well-oiled machine that plays entertaining football, while having assembled a squad so well-rounded that they are able to rotate without having to worry about dropping points.

Last month, they became the first-ever MLS team to win an away game at the Estadio Azteca when they defeated Club America to progress to the CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-finals, where they currently trail Tigres 1-0 after the first leg.

Before that loss to Tigres, though, Mukhtar made history twice in MLS. In March, he scored the league's 25,000th regular-season goal with his late winner against the Columbus Crew.

Then, in April, he reached his 150th regular-season goal contribution after scoring and assisting in a 4-2 win over Charlotte. He has three goals and five assists through nine games in MLS this season.

Nashville are currently enjoying their best-ever start to a campaign, going 7W-1L-1D and sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference. They have conceded just six goals, while scoring 21.

Mukhtar is easily among the best signings in MLS history. The attacking midfielder, a three-time All-Star, has been nothing short of sensational in his six years in Nashville. He is the heartbeat of NSC and a certified legend.

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Written by

Tom Weber | Writer

Tom Weber is an experienced, multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer as part of his freelance work for FootballTransfers.

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